Dark Star
by Ruby-Blade-Princess
Summary: JinYin is one of the best craftknights around, but she doesn't have a Guardian Beast! Summoners tried hard, but no beast ever came to her. She was fine being solo, until she found crystals called Dark Stars and teamed up with a Beast named Naxay. SNSC1
1. Chapter 1: The Princess

Hello! Ruby here! I must be a bit out of my mind, starting this before finishing my other story for fictionpress...which I still need to type! But I just CRAVE writing about my favorite game!

Please enjoy this story. I'll try to update at least once a month. Maybe faster, because I'm on summer break now!

Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night.

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Chapter 1: The Princess

Winter is fading, and spring is floating in. Along with the transition of seasons, JinYin's hair is starting to change colors. She was a child with a few special attributes. One would be her hair. It changes colors between the seasons of winter and spring, then summer and fall. During the fall and winter, her hair is silver like the moon. In the seasons of spring and summer, her hair turns golden blonde. This trait was a "gift" from her mother's guardian beast. For some reason, Sugar wanted to "bless" the child with the interesting trait of changing hair colors…her hair was originally a mix of silver and blonde. Now it phases in and out like the moon. JinYin sighed as she brushed her hair. The top half was already blonde now, only the bottom half remains silver. In a few days, the color would become a solid gold color.

Quickly, she got dressed. JinYin was no big fan of skirts. She pulled on a pair of white pants and a white shirt. Both pieces of clothing had black edges. She then swung her jacket over her shoulders and proceeded to put in on. She only buttoned the second button from the top up. She preferred to keep the rest of the jacket hanging open. The jacket was bright red, and also had black edges sewn in. It wasn't her favorite attire, but she didn't feel like wearing blue to match her eyes today. It's funny. How can someone not "feel" like wearing a certain color? She guessed she's just agitated today. Red wasn't really her color…especially when her hair was turning blonde again.

She rushed downstairs. On the way, she was rammed into by someone wearing orange all over. The two toppled down the stairs. "Ouchiez!" The girl in orange mumbled. Her hair was a strawberry blonde color, but orange highlights ran through them. The girl also had the most peculiar eyes: violet for the left, cerulean for the right.

"Tsune, what is your problem!" JinYin shouted, getting up and dusting herself off. Then, a spark of realization came to her. "Hey! What are you doing in here? And how did you sneak into my house?!"

"Heh heh, sorry, Jin-chan."

"What do you mean sorry? That doesn't answer my question!" Jin scolded the younger girl.

"I came here to ask if Eis wanted to go shopping with me today! Master Sanary and mom are going today, so I'm tagging along!" Tsune was Master Razzy's adopted daughter. Razzy was the master of the Silver Guild now, like her uncle. Master Sanary was the Craftlord of Amber.

"What happened to the concept of knocking on the door?"

"But you're door is soooo far away from your rooms! It was easier just to sneak through the open window…you know how I hate dealing with the servants who opens the door!"

"Ugh…wait, Tsune, did you say the window was open?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I have a feeling Cole forgot his key last night…" Jin sighed. Her younger brother can be such an absent minded boy…and her sister Eis a scheming troublemaker. Only Kindrix, her youngest brother, was well-behaved. His only fault is that he's really quiet and shy.

Jin, on the other hand, was quite a handful herself. She was the best craftknight among her siblings, but also the most short-tempered. She had a quick tongue, spoke her mind, and was prideful. Thankfully, she wasn't so quick to boast a win, and still worked hard to tackle more advanced projects than to rely only on her natural talent.

Tsune was about to ask if she could go find Eis now when Master Pratty, Jin's mother and the Craftlord of Iron, came down through the doors with a grin on her face. Her mother was slender, and many take her size for granted. But on the battlefield, her opponents are in for a surprise. She was fast and strong, and a master of swords, drills, and spears. Pratty had an interest for lightning based weapons too. Along with her usual deep red attire, she always had some sort of lightning based weapon with her. Her hair was silver, the color that Jin inherited. Despite both their eye colors were blue, Jin was always told that she had eyes more like her father's, whose eyes were also blue.

"Jin! Wake your sister up. Sanary asked me to go shopping with her and Razzy today. Oh, Tsune! How nice to see you! Are you coming with us too? Come on, Jin. You should do something like shopping once and a while. You've been off sparing and forging things for days. Slow down and relax for once." Pratty smiled.

"Mother! Shopping isn't all that important to me…do I have to go with you?"

"It'll be best if you do. What else would you do today? You're father is busy right now, so you certainly can't go and bug him…"

"I don't bug him mom. I go to learn from him…" Jin mumbled.

"And Kye is going with us for shopping. So if you want to talk to him, you'll _have_ to come with us." Without even waiting for a reply, her mother went upstairs.

"Heh heh, Jin-chan has to come with us too!" Tsune grinned.

"And I'm not leaving my fashion sense in your hands." Jin stomped off to Eis' room.

"Awe! Why not?"

"Because we all know that you'll try to dress me up in pink like I'm some sort of doll!" She shouted back.

"But still…whyz notz?" Tsune purposely added in the z's.

"Cuz I'm the Princess here, and I said no!" JinYin's voice drifted downstairs from Eis' room. "Eis! Wake up!"

Tsune just sighed downstairs. "Yes, _your highness_…"

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So, that's the introduction to about half of the characters. Of course, everyone's is familiar with Pratty and the other characters from the game, right?

JinYin's name has a meaning, actually. Jin means gold in Chinese. Yin means Silver. I'm Chinese, and sometimes I like to use that language in names. It'll seem more fitting to use a Japanese name though…but I don't know that language …


	2. Chapter 2: A Replay of Memories

Finally, second chapter is up! Sorry for taking more than a month…my laptop got taken away for a while.

On a side note, I paired Sanary up with Kenon… I try to keep parings in the same age group, but Kenon wouldn't be showing up much in this story, considering I don't know his character as well as the others…

Well, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night

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Chapter 2: A Replay of Memories

"Hey, Sanary! Look at this!" Pratty grinned as she pulled out a maid's outfit from the rack.

"Pratty! How far back does your memory go! I thought I told you to forget about all that when we were little!" A deep crimson blush came to her cheeks, matching her fiery red hair and orchid eyes. Kye let out a sigh beside her.

"Mom…can I _please_ go and look around myself now instead of going through dresses with you and Juliet?" He begged. He had armfuls of bags…all which contained stuff his mom and his sister bought. Sanary gave him a dismayed look. But before she could reply with anything, he cut in: "Mom, I'm a boy. I'm not a big fan of shopping for dresses…or for clothing altogether. And I'm certainly not interested in hanging around adults all day."

Pratty laughed. "Sanary, you of all people should understand what he just said. Give the boy a break. He should hang out around his friends more often."

Sanary sighed. "Yes, yes. Kye, you've made your point. But I don't see how you can avoid clothing shopping when there isn't another male around!"

Kye just dropped everything in relief while muttering: "You're the one who dragged me here in the first place. And just to remind you, JinYin doesn't go about looking at clothes all day." With that, he left Vance's marketplace. By the time he disappeared from view, his mother turned to Pratty.

"Why, of all things your daughter dislikes, would be shopping?"

"How am I supposed to answer that? I've wondered the same thing for years and still didn't find the answer!"

"She might just be like me when I was little, not interested in that type of stuff." Razzy laughed.

"Well, it's not just _that_. She's missing the mark of being a girl altogether." Sanary continued to muse. "Razzy, you at least like flowers. JinYin doesn't seem to have any interests that fit a girl! Why, the moment we arrived here, she went to the weapon's shop! She dreams of becoming a Craftlord, and has the skill for it, but I believe that a female Craftlord should also have grace!"

"Master Sanary, it's not like Jin-chan's that much off from being a girl! She's still got looks and wears jewelry!" Tsune protested.

"Yeah, she's beautiful, but never did care much for her looks, and the only jewelry she wears is a pair of earrings…"

"But mom doesn't wear any jewelry either…" Eis muttered. "Though dad wears earrings…"

"Sanary, not all girls have to be into shopping…" Razzy protested.

"You were different!"

Pratty sighed. "This is going to last a while…" She said softly to Sugar.

"Master Pratty, why don't we just go on and spend the rest of the day together without them?" Sugar asked with hope that her master would say yes. Instead, Pratty forced a smile upon her face and replied: "Leaving them alone wouldn't be very nice, would it?"

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"You know, I just don't understand why mom likes shopping so much…" Kye complained to JinYin as he walked through the weapon's shop with her. Kye was taller than her, and had a preference to darker colors: black and mahogany. His hair was black and messy since he's always too lazy to fix it in the mornings, and his eyes were a dark chocolate brown.

"Funny, shouldn't your mother be the person that you understand the most?" Jin asked.

"That's hard to do."

"Then she's the person you understand the least…"

"No. The person I understand the least is the Craftlord of Crystal…"

"Which one are you talking about? The previous Craftlord who lives near the lighthouse or the current one?"

"I'm talking about the current one, your father…"

"So, the second on the list is your mother?"

"No…second is _your_ mother. And before you ask, third is you, and forth is…"

"Ok, ok. Enough. Just say that my whole family is on the list of people you don't understand. I know why you say you don't understand me…"

"Yeah. You live in luxury, yet you enjoy going down labyrinths for your materials instead of buying them, and even though you have people to cook for you, you go out of your way to learn how to cook! What tops all that off is that your culinary skills are amazing! That's just—"

"Illogical? Kye, why does everything have to be logical to you? And why are my parents on the top of your list?"

"Weren't your parents _rivals_ from two _rivalry_ guilds? And for the love of Parista, your father completely insulted your mother the first time they'd met, and then she did the same _and_ beat him badly in a fight. How in the world did they get along later?"

"We seem to be getting along just fine…" Jin mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Don't tell me you forgot! Few summers back, I met you for the first time in the first floor of the labyrinth. You were bringing your little sister Juliet there to see the fish. Now, how did our conversation go again? Oh, yeah, you called me an 'arrogant-wanabe-blonde.' How are we talking to each other now without me wringing my hands around your neck?"

"I don't remember that…what happened again?"

"What do you mean? I beat you to a pulp, of course! Don't ask stupid questions." Jin turned away swiftly and left the shop. Kye was about to ask her where she was going, but stopped short. Of course, knowing her, she'd be going to the lighthouse. _Don't ask stupid questions._ Jin's words replayed in Kye's head.

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And that's the second chapter! I can't wait for the next one where I introduce the new character! Along with a hilarious situation that may come in the third or fourth chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Naxay the Demon Royalty

Chapter three is up! I found extra time on the computer, and I just typed away like crazy. I'm glad to have someone who reads and reviews too…even though it's only one person! Thank you very much, Jenvaati!

This chapter became finished earlier than I expected. I thought it wouldn't be done until Sunday.

Enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night

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Chapter 3: Naxay the Demon Royalty

JinYin gave a good yawn and stretch as she entered the lighthouse. She enjoyed times where she could go all out and bash a few strays out of the way. The lighthouse was dark and damp, with mildew and mold covering the walls. The stone floor and stairways were slippery, and every step she took echoed. These were one of the few places she was allowed to explore thoroughly. The Craftlords forbade anyone to go past the fiftieth floor. When it was first discovered, the few craftknights with the skill to reach past floor 50 came back mortally wounded. One never came back. The Craftlords were careful not to venture too deep either, and no one knew how far down the labyrinth goes. Even after her protests, Jin's parents refused to allow for her to go down there. In truth, they only had this problem with her, because she was the only one in her age group that even made it down to the 50th floor in the first place. Cole and Eis never made it past floor 42. But that was already amazing for craftknights their age.

To Jin, the strays in the lighthouse were pathetic. "Now, which weapon should I use today?" She muttered to herself. She had three choices: the slender sword at her side with lightning attributes, the fire-powered drill she kept with her in case she meets an opponent with strong durability and her favorite spear on her back. She made sure everything was made perfectly, and that her skills were always top-notch. It was the only way she could make up for her weakness: she has no guardian beast. No matter how many summoners she had visited, none could call a creature to her. This problem baffled her family just as much as it troubled her in the past. But after years of being on her own, working solo seemed just fine.

She gave her spear a twirl. "This'll do today. I used the drill and sword yesterday…" With that settled, she began to sprint to the stairs. One of the easiest ways to catch a stray's attention was to charge in carelessly. Anything that got in her way was either bashed aside or slashed to nonexistence. No matter what, battle was in her blood. She just couldn't resist picking a fight somewhere in dungeons and such.

It took her no more than ten minutes to reach the top. She still remembers her first trip there. Her mother took her here when she was little and told her the story about how she and her friends were locked up in the cell and how they escaped. Stories about her parent's childhood were like treasures to Jin. They were stories she could learn from and enjoy. Family time was the second best thing beside a good battle.

A rush of air lifted her hair. At first, she enjoyed the breeze. Then, she felt a weird presence behind her. She looked back. Something that looked like a black hole was forming behind her. Before Jin could react, a flash of light erupted from the darkness. Jin felt something throw her into the wall. A beast stood there. It looked like a mix between a bull and a lion. The creature's beady eyes caught the red color of Jin's jacket. _Of all the times I decided to wear red…!_ Jin panicked in her mind. The creature charged right at her. Jin rolled out of the way, and dashed away from the creature, leaving her spear behind. The creature had its horns stuck into the wall. Jin fumbled for her drill and charged up an attack. The moment she sprang forward for the attack, however, the creature wrenched its horns out and reared out of the way! Jin's weapon clashed into the wall. The drill was screwed into the wall now. "Damn it!" Jin cursed as she attempted to pull the drill out, but had to let go and dive out of the way from another assault. "Great, that leaves me with the sword…" Jin drew the blade and waited. The creature turned around and attempted to ram her again. She sidestepped and left a long open wound in the side of the beast as it sped past her. When it spun around for revenge, Jin noticed something flashing purple light on its forehead. That moment of shattered concentration was all that was needed for the beast take her by surprise. It was too late to dodge, and Jin thrust the sword out in front of her in an attempt to drive the beast back. The sword went through the beast's forehead instead, splitting a crystal that she did not know was there. The beast evaporated as if it was never there. All that was left were two shards of a black crystal.

"Well, if I'd known that would've taken care of it, I would've done that first!" Jin muttered as she picked up the shards.

"Hey, human. Give those to me."

JinYin turned her head sharply in the direction of the voice. A summon creature floated to her left. The creature was a demon. Her hair was flaming red and her eyes were yellow like lanterns. The demon girl wore a leather top and a tiger pelt skirt. Loose chains hung behind her like how Sugar's decorative swords floated behind the beast. Kunai's adorned the ends of the chains. The demon moved forward to take the shards.

"Who are you?" Jin stepped back and clenched the shards in her right hand.

"That's none of your concern, human. Hand the shards over."

"And what if I say no?"

The demon grinned. "You think you can say no to me, the Demon Princess?"

"As if I care!"

"Let me give you a little lesson. I am Naxay, daughter of the Demon King Rasho! Those shards belong to me, and not you. Return them and you won't have to feel my wrath."

Jin didn't know if she could trust this demon. The shards were getting warm in her hand now. _Feel her wrath? What does she take me for?_ Anger rose within her. Naxay noticed the flush of emotion and grinned. "So, you want to play, don't you? Let me give you a stronger warning…"

Jin didn't have time to react. The demon threw out her hand and scattered magical star-shaped projectiles at her. When Jin looked down, she didn't see a scratch or wound. Instead, her clothes were torn in various places.

"Now, hand the shards over, or I'll make sure you bleed next time." Naxay came closer. The shards have become scorching hot in Jin's hands. She didn't know what came over her, but she threw out that hand at the demon and something blasted Naxay into the wall.

"What did you—" Naxay shouted with disbelief as Jin stared into the palm of her hand. The crystals seemed to have melted into her hand, forming a small five-pointed star that glowed deep amethyst.

"What _is_ this thing?" Jin picked at it. The crystal was embedded deep into her palm.

"No…" Naxay's eyes became wide. "The Dark Star _fused_ with you?"

"I don't know! Is that what this thing is, a Dark Star? Well, why did you want this thing in the first place?" Jin exercised her right hand. Nothing felt wrong to her, despite the weird crystal in her palm.

"That's none of your business! Although I suppose I'll have to kill you now…no wait…" Naxay became thoughtful. While the demon floated with her legs crossed, Jin got up and began to collect her scattered weapons. She sheathed her sword, re-strapped her spear to her back and walked up to the drill in the wall. Naxay made no indication of noticing the girl moving about as she continued to think. Jin switched the drill into reverse and yanked it out of the wall. She then grimaced at the state of her clothing. _I can't walk on the streets like this!_

Naxay began to mutter to herself. Jin caught words like "guarding" "defeat" and "nothing to lose" from the demon princess.

"Are you a craftknight?" The question came abruptly from Naxay.

"What do you think I am, a girl carrying weapons around just for fun?" Jin snorted.

"I suppose you already have a Guardian Beast?" Naxay tried to ignore Jin's attitude, but the annoyance was shown clearly on her face.

"No…what are you trying to get at?"

"If I can't get those shards from you, I'll have to guard it in a different way: by guarding you."

"Now what do I need guarding from?"

"I can explain everything right now."

"No thank you. I've talked to you long enough and I don't have time to listen to explanations. I have to go and do something about…_this_." Jin indicated at her clothes scornfully. She turned on her heels and proceeded through the door. Naxay followed. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business." Jin replied as she knocked a stray summon aside coolly.

"Well, I'm not leaving you, and I can become you Guardian Beast." Naxay said as she also blasted one aside, trying to keep herself from being interrupted as she tried to talk to Jin.

"I've been solo for the past fifteen years of my life. What makes you think I need a Guardian Beast now?"

"And are you fine being solo?" The demon pressed on. Before Jin could issue an answer to drive the demon away, two foggros zoomed towards them. Jin used her sword and slashed one with a wide arc. Naxay fried the other one with fire. Somehow, the craftknight and summon creature became back to back against each other.

"You're pretty good." Naxay muttered.

"I could say the same to you." Jin lowered her sword and smirked. "I suppose it would be of no harm if you tagged along."

"I have nothing to lose…or I should say I have nothing left to lose."

"Let's get out of here and talk about what there is to lose later. I need to get going." Jin paced down to the next flight of stairs.

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"Holy Parista! What happened to you, Jin-chan?" Tsune gaped at JinYin and her shredded clothing.

"I have Naxay here to thank for this." Jin jerked her head at the floating demon beside her, who didn't feel like socializing any more with human strangers.

"This is outrageous! What would mom say when she sees you?" Eis feigned a tone of surprise, but the look on the eleven-year-old face was clearly one of a schemer's. Eis ran her fingers through her shoulder-length silver hair and turned to Juliet. "I think we need to find something for my sister to wear."

Juliet grinned. Her brown eyes showed mischief and she began to twirl a lock of her flaming hair in her hand. "I know just the right thing for her."

"Oh, gods, no…" Jin gulped as the three girls closed in on her. Before she knew it, she was dressed up in a pink dress with a big bow on her back. "Hey! What are you—?"

"Heh heh, that looks nice on you, Jin-chan." Tsune grinned.

"Oooh…this is humiliating!" Jin fumed. But she couldn't take it off. Not unless she wanted to continue parading about in shredded clothing. She stomped off. "I'm going back to the ship! I absolutely CANNOT be seen like this!"

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And that's it! I think my chapters are going to get longer now, bit by bit.

This isn't where the pink dress scene ends. Look forward to the next chapter!

I've uploaded three different pictures of JinYin onto my photobucket account. Check them out; they're of her in three two different styles and hair colors…and one of her in the pink dress! And there is also other random stuff I drew…My username is Ruby_Blade_Princess.


	4. Chapter 4: Guardian of the Dark Star

I got my laptop back! And I finished this rather quickly…I think this is one of the boring chapters with a lot of explanations. But now that these are knocked out of the way, I can finally start to get into the fun part of the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night.

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Chapter 4: Guardian of the Dark Star

"So, you don't like dresses?" Naxay asked as she floated lazily alongside of JinYin, who was now walking with long strides towards to harbor.

"No, it's not the dress I dislike…I have to wear certain dresses for formal occasions. I hate this hideous color!" She huffed.

"Formal occasions? I suppose you're not some ordinary human peasant, huh?"

Jin found that remark to be very rude. "Of course not! My mother is the Craftlord of Iron, and my father is the Craftlord of Crystal! On top of that, father also manages the Gold Guild! What did you take me for? I'm also the best craftknight in Wystern!"

"Should I be honored to be your Guardian Beast then?" Naxay raised an eyebrow at her, amused by what she was told.

"Hey, just because I said you can tag along doesn't mean I've agreed for you to be my Guardian Beast!" She snapped back. When she arrived at the harbor, her mind was so preoccupied about how to explain her clothes and the demon princess that she didn't even pay attention to which ship she boarded. Instead of boarding the ship she came in, she ended up walking mindlessly onto another ship that belonged to her family…

Nigelle checked off the last item on his checklist as Varil loaded the last box of supplies onto the ship. The sudden appearance of a girl in pink and a summon creature startled both of them. JinYin, who at first appeared with a confused expression on her face, flushed pink in embarrassment as she realized what ship she had just boarded.

Varil blinked at her. "JinYin?"

"Yes, father…"

"What _happened_ to you, princess?" He couldn't believe the scene before him. Nigelle tried to hold back his laughter. Jin tried to remain calm, but with no prevail. "What happened to me? Eis, Tsune, and Juliet happened to me! Oh, this is horrible!" She fumed.

"Well, what's wrong with your sister's taste?" Her father teased as he inspected her.

"Ack! Don't look at me! I look pathetic!" Jin protested.

"It's just a pink dress…your mother would enjoy this snapshot here." He continued to tease her.

"_Father!_"

"Ok, maybe you're right then. You do look pathetic in that dress." He smirked. In many ways, he was quite childish.

"What—?" Jin wanted to retort back, but stopped short. She did, after all, say that she looked pathetic. And she really couldn't remain mad at him. Naxay found the family scene quite funny and began to laugh. Jin turned sharply to the demon and shouted: "Hey now, what are you laughing at? This is your entire fault in the first place!"

"_My_ fault? Hey, if you didn't do as I asked, then I wouldn't be stuck with you either!"

"Excuse me? You were the one who wanted to be my Guardian Beast!"

"Ok now, cut it out, girls…" Varil tried to stop the two. But Naxay ignored him.

"Oh, but didn't you say that you haven't agreed for me to be your Guardian Beast yet?"

"So what if I did?"

"Hey, I said CUT IT OUT!" Varil shouted.

Jin quickly issued an apology: "Sorry, father."

Naxay wasn't so happy to be ordered around though. "Who are you to tell me what to do, human?"

"Jin, would you please explain to us about your…companion?" Varil asked irritably.

"I don't need for her to introduce me. I can do it myself. I am Princess Naxay, daughter of the Demon King Rasho from Silturn." Naxay replied with pride.

"Come to think of it, you haven't allowed for me to even introduce myself to you yet…" Jin muttered.

"That's your own fault. Why don't you do that then?" Naxay snapped.

"Fine! My name is JinYin, but my friends call me Jin or Jin-chan. My mother's Guardian Beast, Sugar, like to call me 'JinJin' because she thinks it's cute…"

"Whoa! Wait! Did you say Sugar? As in Sugarette?"

"Yes…do you know her?"

"Know her? Of course! She's the princess of the Spirit World Sapureth! She's your mother's Guardian Beast?" Naxay was shocked. Her attention snapped back to Jin's father. "You! What is your name?"

"I would expect for a princess to know her manners and ask me about myself in a more courteous manner." He replied coldly.

"I'm a _demon_ princess! Why would I need to bother about manners?" She shot back.

"Then you will not get anything out of me. Nigelle, is everything ready? We need to head back to Wystern. I think we've wasted enough time talking already."

"Everything is ready for sailing." Nigelle smiled.

"Umm…father? Can I go home early with you instead? I want to change out of these clothes…" Jin asked.

"Go leave a note on your mother's ship first, to tell her where you went. And be quick about it!" Varil called after Jin as she ran off his ship to go leave the note. Naxay remained, thinking to herself: _Princess Sugarette is the Guardian Beast of someone named Pratty…one of the sacrifices…The name of the other sacrifice was someone by the name of Varil, and all I know about him is that he's got something to do with the Gold Guild in Wystern. The Evil that named his sacrifices to possess full control of the Dark Star named not only them, but vowed to shed their family's blood. If this Craftlord of Crystal is indeed Varil…then that means there will be fewer victims, and only one family in danger. Luck must be on my side that the fragments ended up here. Not only will I have a better chance of finding the rest of the fragments before the Evil, I no longer have to search for him. If I remain with these humans, the Evil is bound to show up some time to get rid of them. That will be my chance to eliminate him…But what I don't understand is why the Evil seeks revenge against this family. What wrong have they done to him to create such a vengeful soul?_

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"Miss JinYin, your tea is here…" A maid brought in a tray with two cups of tea into her room. She was finally in her own clothes…the white and blue combination this time. She didn't think she would still want to wear red after the beast incident.

Naxay was actually standing on the ground instead of floating in the air. She picked up one of the cups of tea and gulped it down with one gulp. "Bleh, tea tastes nasty no matter what world it's from." She stuck out her tongue.

Jin poured sugar and cream into hers. "It probably tastes bad because you drank it without anything in it. I don't fancy tea without sugar, and I prefer black tea with sugar and cream in it. Why don't you give it a try?"

"Nah. I don't think I'll like it even with extra stuff in it."

Jin sat down in the nearest chair and sipped her tea. It was warm and sweet, and she enjoyed the taste of cream in her mouth. Naxay simply leaned against the wall and watched the girl enjoy her tea. They didn't exchange words until Jin drank the whole cup. She had it set aside and then got up to close the door. "Ok, now would be a good time to explain this thing in my hand." Jin pointed at the crystal embedded in her palm.

"That thing is a Dark Star…a fragment of it."

"I take it that it belonged to something bigger?"

"It shattered. The Dark Star is a crystal from my kingdom that can grant a human with dark powers and other deadly traits if the ritual was performed correctly." Naxay explained.

"Be more specific. What happened to this crystal?" Jin pressed on.

"The crystal was guarded to keep people away from it. Obviously, someone tried to steal it. We call the thief 'the Evil' because we didn't know the criminal's name. The only information we have of him is that he's a soul merged with dark spirits, and he seeks revenge with the crystal. He didn't obtain the crystal entirely, as you can tell, and the ritual can't be completed without obtaining the whole crystal."

"What is the ritual exactly?"

"It's fairly simple, depending on the circumstances. The soul must sacrifice his or her most hated enemy…I know it isn't really a sacrifice when they're enemies, but the blood must be spilled and drank. The thing is, it depends on who the soul see's as his enemy. This Evil declared two people as his sacrifices. And he also vowed to bring destruction upon their families." Naxay neglected to tell Jin the details of the sacrifices. Thankfully, Jin did not ask who they were.

"So, you're going to guard me to keep the Dark Star out of Evil's clutches?"

"Not only that, you can also detect if there are other fragments around. It makes my search easier."

"You're basically using me…" Jin displayed clear irritation at what she was being told. "Who were the guards for this stupid crystal? Why didn't they do their job correctly?" She snapped.

"Hey now, I didn't expect for some damned soul to sneak in! I was alert for physical beings, not ghosts!" Naxay replied angrily.

"Oh, so it was your fault from the very beginning!" Jin mocked. When Naxay was about to retort with something, Jin suddenly clapped her hand over the demon's mouth. The cool crystal in her palm was pressed to her lips. "Ok, look. Really, it doesn't matter who it is to blame for this, because it won't change what has happened. You need to get those crystals, right? And if we can prevent this Evil from completing his goal, we're saving two families from death, right? You're lucky. I'm sympathetic for others like my mother, and I won't leave this matter by itself. Do you know these families?" She lowered her hand.

Naxay had hoped she didn't ask. She lied instead: "Haven't a clue."

"Then we're helping strangers. Is revenge all there is to this?"

"No. The Evil muttered stuff about fame and glory…"

"Fat chance that's going to happen to someone so evil…" Jin smirked. "I don't fully understand the whole story behind this, but I believe what you say. I don't, however, wish to tell my parents about this."

"I wouldn't suggest it. The fewer humans that know about the Dark Star, the better. The crystal was supposed to be a secret. And I must get the fragments back. The King was disappointed that his daughter could not guard a crystal, and I don't wish to disappoint him even more."

"Funny, you _do_ have a modest and gentle side to you. All this time I thought you were just some rude and spoiled brat." Jin teased.

"Watch your mouth, human!"

"Whatever. I'm going to look for a pair of gloves to hide the crystal." Jin turned to her closet. "Oh, we'll tell everyone that you're my Guardian Beast, ok?"

---------------

Whew! There's the whole driving reason to why this story exists. I'm glad to finally be able to introduce the conflict of the story. Now, things are going to get interesting!

Note: I'm going on vacation next week, and I can't bring my laptop with me. I know, its unfourtunant. T_T But once I get back, I'll be writing chapter five. So, sit tight for a week, ok? Don't worry, I won't forget!

(In my mind:

Naxay: "Yeah, right. You'll have so much fun you'll forget about everything!"

me: "Say that again?" Smacks her on the head with the ruler...my must needed drawing tool...

Over the phone:

Tsune: "Ruby-chan! Don't forget to let me borrow your summon night game this week!"

me: "I won't..."

Tsune: "And please write more for our story! And read me Dark Star!"

me: sigh... "Ok..."

Tsune: "And can you draw for me..."

me: "Tsune! I'm supposed to be on vacation next week! Give me a break!")


	5. Chapter 5: A Mistake Repeated

I'm back from my vacation! As promised, here's a new chapter!

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Chapter Five: A Mistake Repeated

"Hey, wake up you lazy bum! It's already two in the afternoon!" Naxay banged on the door to Jin's room. No one answered. "Hey, don't ignore the demon princess here!" She banged a little harder. The action prompted no reaction on the other side. Naxay lifted her fist once more for a third knock when the door suddenly slammed open.

"I'm not deaf, _your highness_! What are you trying to do? Break my door down?" JinYin glared at her. The girl was in the middle of changing, with only a few belts and buckles left to fasten for her weapons.

"It's two in the afternoon. What are you, a nocturnal animal that sleeps by day and prowls about during the night? If I didn't wake you up, you would've slept the day away!"

"So? Then what have _you_ been doing the whole time while I slept?" Jin shot back as she walked briskly back into the room to grab the strap for her spear. More of the blonde color now dominated her hair. Naxay noticed the shift of color and floated up to the girl. She took up a handful of the fine threads of hair and examined it. Jin raised an eyebrow at the demon as she watched through the mirror. "What?"

"I could've sworn that your hair was half gold half silver yesterday! Are you really human?"

"That's a stupid question. What do you think I am? So what if my hair changes colors?"

"Human hair doesn't change colors."

"Human hair that's been tampered by an annoying fairy princess does." Jin walked out of the room and down the flight of stairs for the kitchen. Naxay followed. "So, what did you do for half the day?"

"Nothing. I just roamed about your place to get to know the floor plan." That was a lie. She was actually collecting information about her family…She met her mother, Pratty, who welcomed Naxay warmly. She also confirmed that the Craftlord of Crystal was indeed Varil. That made her task easier in many ways, but harder in others.

Jin grabbed a piece of bread, toasted it, and headed for the front door while wolfing down her "breakfast". Two of the maids brought her weapons and she quickly strapped them on. "Come on, Naxay, we're heading for the labyrinth."

"Why should I go wherever you order me?" Naxay looked at her with annoyance. Jin didn't reply. Someone was knocking on the door.

"Hello? Is sis there? Pratty?" Razzy's voice drifted through the thick double doors. The maids opened the doors.

"Hello, Master Razzy? Are you looking for mother?" Jin asked.

"Well, yes, but it doesn't have to be her. Is Tsune here?" She asked for her daughter.

"I haven't seen her…but then again, I just woke up…"

"Is Tsune the little sunshine girl with dual colored eyes?" Naxay questioned.

"Yeah, that's her. What, did you see her during that little patrol you did while I was asleep?" Jin turned to the Guardian Beast.

"No." She replied flatly. "What about her though?"

"Ah, well…Tsune went to the labyrinth to look for supplies for both of us today, and she promised that she'll be back home by one thirty. She has never been this late before. I thought she might have taken a detour to your place for a visit. Umm…if she's not here, then I'll go check the flower gardens…" Without even waiting for Jin to reply, Razzy ran off. Even after all the years, she never did grow out of that habit of running off. Jin found it to be a really peculiar trait for an adult. _Then again, father can be a bit childish too…_She thought as she turned to Naxay.

"Can you go upstairs and find Cole?"

"What? Hey don't just order me around! Go find him yourself!" Naxay replied. "Uh…who is Cole?"

"He's my younger brother. Thirteen years old, blond hair, blue eyes, likes to hum or whistle while he's working on the forge. He's not that hard to miss, since he's very much like father. Is that enough information for you?"

"Yeah, not that I needed to know all that in the first place."

"Then will you just go and get him?"

"Ok, ok. Sheesh, you're such a slave driver." Naxay mumbled as she went up the stairs. "Why does she need him anyway?"

She wandered down the corridors until she arrived at a room with an open door. Just as she was about to peek in to see if Cole was there, someone came out and walked right into her.

"Hey! Watch it!" The boy scowled.

"Why don't you watch it too?" Naxay glared down upon the boy. He looked up, bewildered. He matched the description Jin had given Naxay.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"That's none of your business. Are you Cole?"

"Yes, but who are you?"

"Just shut up and come with me. Your sister's looking for you." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him along.

After much protest, they arrived back downstairs to the front doors. The Craftlord of Iron was already there talking to her daughter. "There's a possibility that she fell down a hole in the floor…but I really doubt she'll make the same mistake her mother did…"

"Master Pratty, you never know what may happen…" Sugar said softly.

"She probably got lost…Tsune has no sense of direction whatsoever." Jin deducted.

"Hey." Naxay pushed Cole forward. "There."

"Sis! You could've just yelled for me instead of having someone drag me! And who is this?" Cole shot a glance at Naxay.

"That's my guardian beast."

"No way! You finally got one to come to you? I thought that wouldn't happen in a million years!"

"Enough said. We're going down to the labyrinth." Jin had a coil of rope in her hands.

"Why are we going down there?"

"We need to find Tsune. She's down there somewhere."

"…" Cole looked at her. "Don't tell me that rock head went down there by herself…"

"As a matter of fact, she did."

"That idiot! I told her not to go down by herself! She'll only get lost! Why didn't she listen?" He angrily proceeded through the doors.

"Hey, Cole! Are you planning on going down there without a weapon?" Jin shouted at him. He cursed and ran back inside up the stairs.

"Care to explain why you're bringing you brother with you?" Naxay grumbled.

"He knows her better than I do. Thus, it'll be easier to find her."

"She couldn't have gone very far, considering this is the first time she went down there herself. I'm sure you'll find her in no time." Pratty smiled.

"Jinjin, don't get hurt down there! And don't fall through any holes!" Sugar chided.

"I won't!" Jin protested.

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Tsune looked up at hole in the ceiling. She then looked down at the broken ladder at her feet. She looked up again and sighed. There was no way out. She'll have to wait.

She sat down on the hard flooring. The other way was a dead end, and she can't go up from where she fell down. But more importantly, she's worried about the thing that made her fall and broke the ladder. Whatever it was that startled her had great gigantic paws and growled. She couldn't hear it anymore, but it didn't sound like anything gentle. She knew that someone will come and find her, but will they notice the monster? The thirteen year old girl was terrified of lycons and anything large furry creature with claws.

She sat there and waited. There was the sound of dripping water. She didn't know where it came from, but fell asleep to the rhythm. She didn't know for how long she slept, but woke up to the sound of voices.

"There, she's down there." Cole's voice.

"Mom was right, she _did_ fall down a hole. And the same one, no less." Jin-chan's voice…

"Cole! Jin-chan!" Tsune got up. Her whole body felt stiff. "You found me!"

"What, were you playing hide and seek with us! This isn't funny!" Cole snapped.

"More importantly, how did you break the ladder too?" Jin asked. She was unclipping the coiled rope from her belt.

"I didn't break it! A monster—"

"Hush!" Naxay suddenly became alert. "I sense something dangerous."

Jin looked around. A tingling sensation formed in her right hand. She dismissed it, but as a sound came closer, the feeling got worse.

Tsune couldn't see more than what was through the hole. Jin and Cole left her line of vision to check out what it was. The noise became clearer, the sound of breathing. "Jin-chan? Cole?" Tsune whispered.

CRASH!

The noise startled Tsune. The whole floor rumbled.

"JINYIN? COLE! HELLO? WHAT'S HAPPENING?" She shouted back. All she could hear was a ferocious snarling.

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Over my vacation, I did get some time to draw, so there's a new picture uploaded on photobucket. I think a lot of you would like it. I tried my best to draw it…and I must say Pratty was hard because I had to make a lot of changes. I got lazy on clothing though…It's hard when you have to try and draw six people in one picture! Look it up on my account: Ruby_Blade_Princess


	6. Chapter 6: Unveiling of a Cobra Princess

School started, so I'm going to update every two weeks instead of every one week…unless I somehow manage more time on the computer. Enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night.

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Chapter Six: Unveiling of a Cobra Princess

Something broke the door down, and dust filled the room. Everyone coughed and became teary-eyed. JinYin could hear Tsune yelling for them and wanted to answer, but a claw suddenly swiped out at her and tore her left sleeve, nicking her skin. Something else sprang out of the dust cloud and pounced on Cole. With a mighty sweep, it knocked the boy into the wall, and he too fell down the hole. Jin heard Tsune let out an "oof." She was about to ask if her brother was alright when another claw swung at her face. She parried it off with her spear. The dust cleared, and she saw the two creatures. Naxay growled: "These don't look like any summon creature I've seen."

Both creatures were cheetah-like, with green pelts instead of orange and mechanical tentacles reaching out from their torsos. Jin didn't have to race them to know that they're fast. The creature on the right prepared for a pounce, and Jin tried to brace herself. The weight and strength of the creature flung her through the broken double-doors. Jin landed painfully into a pile of rocks, brushing past a growth of red crystals that tore her clothing even more. "Darn! Why can't I go through at least one day without my clothes being torn to shreds?"

"Quit whining about your clothes and do something about these creatures!" Naxay yelled at her. She blasted a few fireballs, and then tried to use her magical projectiles. To her horror, any wound she opened or burnt closed up immediately. "What are these things? They just keep healing!"

"Then let's see if it can live without its head!" Jin took out her sword and went for the nearest creature's neck. The cat-like head came off cleanly. But before Jin could utter her triumph, a new head grew out.

"We're in a very bad situation." Naxay attempted to scorch one to ashes, but the fire seemed to only coat the creature and not cause any harm.

"I don't need for you to tell me that! I can tell!" Jin stabbed her opponent and left the sword in the creature as experimentation, trying to see if leaving the weapon in would make it bleed internally to death. The creature grabbed the weapon with a tentacle and pulled it out, flinging it away from Jin. Her next two attempts at attacking the creatures didn't work either. They snapped her spear in two, and were too fast for her drill.

Naxay could only knock her opponent away repeatedly as it lunged for her. She didn't know how she will live through assaults from a creature that doesn't die. There has to be some way to kill it…but what? As she threw the monster off her back once again, she caught a glimpse of JinYin getting bit by the creature's jaws. The teeth sunk into the girl's left shoulder, and her blood stained its jaws and fur. In that desperate situation, she struggled and attempted to attack the creature's eyes. Naxay watched in amazement for that one moment as the Dark Star shard reacted and sharpened Jin's nails into long claws. She left a long blood-red mark down the creature's face. The monster recoiled and relinquished its hold on her.

Taking her attention off of her opponent for so long, Naxay didn't have a chance to react when the other creature attacked, placing her on her back. "Get off of me, you giant fur ball!" She kicked the creature off. It landed beside its companion. Each looked left and right at the two girls. Naxay growled back, and Jin staggered to her feet.

Suddenly, the scar-faced monster started to waver. It showed signs of pain and started to shake its head as if trying to clear its vision. Beast, demon and human all watched in confusion as the wounded one began to lose control over its respiratory system. It soon fell with a _thump_ and ceased to move or breathe. Its companion began to back away, unsure of what was happening as the dead creature began to dissolve away, leaving a shard of a Dark Star. Jin took advantage of the creature's cowering and sprinted forward. Naxay saw the flush of blood red into the girl's sharp nails. Realization and disbelief sparked in the demon's mind as she watched the second creature die with the same fate. She knew what was killing them, and suspected she found a secret she wasn't supposed to know.

-----------------

Cole received a few cracked ribs from being hit in the chest and from the fall. After his sister pulled both him and Tsune out of the hole and repaired the ladder, he tried to ask what happened. Both his sister and the Guardian Beast didn't reply. He suspected a secret, but couldn't put his mind to it because Tsune was fussing the whole time: "Are you ok?" She asked over and over again.

Jin got rid of most of the blood-stained parts of her clothes as Naxay healed her. Her hand had changed back to normal, and the two new crystals had merged into the Dark Star. When she got home, she lied to her parents and Sugar, saying that she fell trying to get Tsune out and got caught in some crystals. She hid the broken spear out of their sight too. Cole couldn't tell his parents that Jin was lying because of Tsune's constant rattling. ("Are you _sure_ you're okay?") Jin left straight upstairs and didn't come down except for dinner.

When she returned to her room after her shower that night, the Demon Princess was waiting on the edge of her bed. "What do you want?" Jin asked flatly.

"I don't _want_ anything. I was just wondering if you knew what killed those things today."

"Do _you_ know?"

"I was surprised to see that mere claws did the trick." Naxay laced her words with a sarcastic tone.

"I was too. Well then…_Princess Naxay_. What did you find out?" Jin looked back over her shoulder at the red-haired demon.

"Is this something like a family secret or something?"

"You can put it that way. Sugar was the first to find out about my condition." She sighed.

"So you don't deny it?"

"Be more specific as to what I'm denying."

"You're not denying that you're poisonous."

"I don't deny that."

Naxay fell silent. Jin continued to brush her wet hair. They could hear the sound of a hammer striking against metal from a different room…someone was forging. Outside, the muffled noises of the Wystern population drifted through the closed window. After a while, Jin placed her brush down and got dressed in clothes for an outing. "I'm going for a walk."

Naxay didn't stop her. The craftknight left through the door and went down the stairs. Ten minutes later, someone else came back into the room, surprising Naxay. "Excuse me, but can you come to the harbor with me?"

-------------------

"Jin, you look fazed." Kye looked down at the usually so prideful girl sitting on the ground, staring off at the fish behind the glass. She didn't hear him talk to her. Many anxieties buzzed through her head.

"Hey, are you okay? You're spacing out." Kye waved his hand in front of her face. She smacked it away. "Ouch." Kye withdrew his hand but smiled. At least _that_ didn't change. She was still more hostile than sweet.

"Come on now, I've never seen the all high-and-mighty Princess look so down before. What's chewing you out?"

"Nothing." Jin grumbled.

"Don't give me that."

"I won't say anything. Just stop asking."

"Then why are you here?"

"No particular reason."

"No particular reason? I don't believe that."

"Just shut up."

Jin hadn't used the poison for years because she was afraid of it. She always made sure no one else touched her wounds because her blood was laced with poison. Sugar had said that it not only made her deadly but also immune to poison. But the Guardian Beast couldn't give an explanation as to _why_ she was born with such a curse. One mistake…one drop of blood, and anyone around her could die. She could poison someone's food…so she wore special gloves when she cooked. She was afraid to go near anyone when she received a cut and allowed for no one to dress her wounds for her. How will Kye and the others react when they realize that she was deadly? _One drop is all it takes to bring death to them…_She had lived through many dangerous battles with summon creatures because any who tried to bite her died of poisoning.

"Jin…"

"Just shut up." She looked away. For five years, she hadn't used the blood. For four years did she only knew Kye and the others. They wouldn't know that this is how she reacted every time she used the poison: feeling afraid for those around her.

-------------------

"Ok, what do you want with me?" Naxay asked irritably as she went up to the harbor.

"Princess Naxay…you found out, didn't you?" Sugar looked at her anxiously.

"Found out about what?"

"JinJin's condition."

"You mean the poison in her blood?"

"Yes."

Naxay looked out at the sea and pondered for a while. "Is she…human?"

"Not anymore…"

"What do you mean 'not anymore?' How can someone be human and then turn into something else?"

"A Fairy Princess' blessing is not what people think it is."

"You're not making sense to me." She was feeling thrown off.

"Naxay, we don't give blessings often to people because it can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing. I'm sure you've noticed JinJin's hair, didn't you?"

She nodded, not yet understanding what this was all about.

"We cannot control how our blessing goes. And this 'blessing' is actually an unlocking of a person's inner power…but that inner power or change can ruin someone. Her phasing hair colors are only an indication of how close she is to becoming something else. When her hair is completely blonde…she has the potential of becoming a snake. She doesn't know this, and I didn't intend for it to be this way. But…"

"Then why did you draw out her inner power in the first place?" Naxay shot a look at the Fairy Princess.

"My kingdom has a mirror, and I looked through it the last time I visited. I saw something dreadful, and I knew I had to do this or she dies. If she fails to stop what the mirror showed me, Wystern will perish."

"You know!" Naxay gasped with her eyes wide. "You know about the Dark Star!"

"Yes, I know. Princess Naxay, although I know JinJin has a better chance of helping you and overcome what lies ahead, the only worry I have now is that she may not live after winning…"

"You mean you're confident she'll win, but not live?"

"Yes. Promise me something, will you? And keep this a secret from my master and her family. Protect her. Protect JinYin. I cannot tell Master Pratty because I know this is something that only you and JinYin can do. Years before, there was a similar situation…were Master Pratty had to take the responsibility and protect Wystern from its own Spirit of Fire. Only you can protect JinYin in this mission. She means a lot to her family. I will not be able to bear it if she dies…and on top of that, how will I be able to face my master? Because I knew all this time that JinYin is heading into danger…" She began to cry. Through the sobbing, Naxay heard Sugar say: "_Only the Cobra Princess can tame the Darkness of the Star._"

That was a phrase she knew all too well: the phrase etched into the stone doors of the chamber she guarded. Now Naxay finally understood what it meant. This was all predicted long before.

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And that's the chapter. It took me a while, but things are slowly unfolding to become more complex.


	7. Chapter 7: Danger Comes Near

I'm soooo sorry for taking so long for the update, and I realize that the chapter is shorter than before…

Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night

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Chapter Seven: Danger Comes Near

_So, JinYin is supposed to help me stop this whole thing…ok, that's not a problem. She's half-cobra now…I suppose that isn't a bad thing. But why is it that only a _Cobra Princess_ can tame the Dark Star? Wait, and what does it mean by taming? What was that stupid inscription supposed to be anyway? Ugh…my head hurts from all this thinking! This is pathetic…_

"JinYin!" Naxay's train of thought was broken as she heard Pratty call for Jin. The demon princess went downstairs to see what was going on.

The Craftlord of Iron was getting ready to go outside. She had a few boxes of supplies by her side. Varil was coming through the door with stuff to, and JinYin scrambled from the kitchen with toast still dangling from her mouth. "Yes, mom? You need something?" She eyed the crates and boxes. "What, are you going on another trip?"

"Unfortunately. I can't control the planning for every business trip after all."

Jin looked thoughtful. "But…today's Saturday…"

"I know, dear."

"What's so special about Saturdays?" Naxay asked from the staircase.

"Family dinner…" Jin muttered.

"We have to be on our way. The faster we leave, the faster we get back." Varil replied.

"JinJin, don't do anything rash again!" Sugar reminded her. "And take care of your brother."

"Yeah, I don't need you to tell me that."

"And be wary of your manners too!" The Fairy Princess chided. Jin rolled her eyes.

After her parents left, Jin sighed and mumbled: "Great…"

"Seriously, why are you upset?" Naxay asked.

"It's Saturday. _Saturday_. Mom and I would make dinner every Saturday and we'll all eat together. We don't have every single day together. Sometimes mom or dad will be too busy to be home on time for dinner…or I'll be off in Vance to get things done for the guild…or Cole would be still down in the labyrinth for hours…"

"Tough having a family that isn't together in one place that often, huh?"

"What about you? Don't you have siblings or something?"

"That's none of your business. But since you won't be busy with your dinner event today, we should hunt for those crystals. The faster we find them, the better. "

"No."

"What?" Naxay looked at her, surprised.

"I said no. Something's off about this. I don't think just looking for the crystals will solve the problem. And I feel something weird. There's a massive amount of dark energy coming from overseas. I think that's where we need to check out."

"Then let's go already!"

"Not now. Not until my parents come home. I'm not allowed to leave the city when both of my parents are gone. I have to stay home and look after my siblings."

"Can't the servants do that? What about your grandparents?"

"I would hate to burden my grandmother with this, and my grandfather is off on a vacation. Also, we hope he stays out on his vacation longer because we find him really annoying."

"That's not a nice thing to say." Naxay teased.

"Since when was I _that_ nice?"

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"The sea is unusually calm today." Pratty gazed out at the infinite waters.

"I don't like this. It's too quiet out there." Varil agreed.

"I'm not much for omens, but I still don't like this either."

"Master Pratty, are you worried?" Sugar asked.

"Yes."

"What is there so worry about though?" Varil looked at the two. "We haven't been attacked ever since we thwarted Lubert's dumb little plan!"

"I must say that although it was dumb, it certainly wasn't little…" Pratty smiled.

"I agree with Master Pratty. He nearly killed us!" Sugar recalled the events from the past.

"And then he died from a falling crate. Pathetic. I still wonder how he became a Craftlord in the first place." Varil smirked.

"But he isn't around anymore, and Sanary is doing a good job as the Craftlord of Amber, isn't she?"

"I don't really care, but better her than Lubert."

"Varil…" Pratty sighed. She looked down at the waters. Was it just her, or did the color become darker?

Sugar suddenly felt chills. Something familiar was coming, but she didn't know what. It didn't feel like a summon creature…

_Revenge…_

"Uh…did any of you hear that?" Pratty looked left and right.

"No. Did you get enough sleep last night?" Varil glanced at her as she tried to hear something.

_I've found you…_

"Hmm…" He looked down at the water. Sugar suddenly pulled both of them back.

"Don't look down! That's the first mistake people make when they hear something! A monster might pull both of you in!" She became worried.

"The only monsters I've seen from the sea were oversized fish. What danger could those pose against us now?" Varil laughed.

_You two are mine…_

"Ok, I take that back. I _did_ hear something." He reached for his spear. Without warning, the ship broke in half.

Almost immediately, something dragged Pratty into the swirling waters. Sugar screamed for her master and tried to go in after her.

"Pratty!" Varil attempted to follow, but was swept away by a wave. Something lashed out at him but missed.

_Damn you…_the voice cursed as he was taken away by the waves. _But don't worry. One down, one more to go…I'll get you once I dispose of her…_

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Jin looked down into the waterway. A lone leaf floated across the surface, encountered a clash of currents and sank. For some reason, it gave the girl a sick feeling in her stomach.

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Ok, please review! I need feedback this time. I know I usually don't ask for it, but I need it or I wouldn't know what to do next. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8:I’ve Known Since the First Day

**I'll keep my mouth shut and not give an excuse or an explanation this time. **

**I'm not too sure if I still like how this is turning out. **

**New character…not an important one though. But this should give insight about how I think the other Craftlords are faring. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Summon Night.**

Chapter Eight: I've Known Since the First Day

"YAWN! This is soooo troublesome!" Jin stretched and complained. It was Sunday morning, and she was sitting at the edge of the water fountain in the park. "As if he couldn't send the message that he was coming back any later!" It was six a.m. in the morning, and Jin was no morning person.

"Then why the hell did you try to get up so early? Who's this person who sent the late letter anyway?" Naxay asked.

"Jet, Kye's stupid cousin. He went on a trip two weeks ago. Apparently, Kye left last night with his mom for something, so now I have to wait here for him."

"Why don't you just _not_ wait for him and leave him alone? I'm sure the kid knows his way around the city without you."

"He does. But you see, I'm supposed to pick up some papers from him for Master Sanary. And I don't feel like being chewed out by her because I didn't get them, ok?"

They fell quiet, too tired to say anything more to each other. The sound of waves hitting the edges of the city made a rhythmic pattern that made them sleepier. Jin apparently dozed off a little, for she jumped later when Jet arrived and poked her. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty! It's time to wake up, princess!"

"Jet!" She swung her spear from her back and pointed the tip at his neck. The boy was considerably taller than her…and older by at least two years. His hair was dark brown and his eye were dark blue…two shades darker than Jin's. Being irritated at his choice of words, the girl glared at him.

"Ok, ok, just kidding. But I must say…I was surprised that you were the one here to meet me. Where's my dear little cousin? I was actually anticipating seeing you two here locked in a spar."

Jin sighed as she pulled the spear away from his neck. "Master Sanary took him with her for some sort of trip. Speaking of expecting people to be around…where are _your_ parents?"

"Dad's still on the ship. Mom is still at the Kagora Volcano. Oh, and here are the papers my aunt will need." He handed her a folder of documents…much less than she had anticipated. From there on, it was a conversation to catch up on what each other missed. Jin introduced Naxay, and Jet talked about interesting stuff he'd heard about.

One thing that caught Jin's attention and made her smirk inwardly to herself was a story about a certain village chief's daughter. The young woman was sought by many suitors, but rejected each of them. Yet fate had it that when she found someone she liked, for the first time she was rejected. When she'd heard years later that the one she loved married someone else, she was devastated enough to go out and get drunk. Jin thought that was the dumbest thing someone should do. But it happened a lot to people who seemed to have everything and then ended up not getting what they want most. Just one thing can turn a person insane, apparently. Well, the woman got knocked up at the bar. What a story…the village chief's own daughter getting into a mess like that? What made it even funnier was that she'd heard stuff from Sugar before about this woman. This made her laugh out loud. Jet looked at her quizzically.

"Oh, nothing…I was reminded of something else form that story. But other than that, are Master Sakuro and Master Kouren doing well?" She inquired of the older boy's parents.

"As fine as ever. Where are the Craftlords of Crystal and Iron now?"

"Business trip. I'm left to stay in the city to take care of my injured brother now." She snorted. "He cracked a few ribs."

"What hap—" He was cut off after spotting someone at the staircase across from the Silver Guild. Jin gasped. "Sugar!"

Naxay floated over and dragged the water fairy from out of the water. Jin panicked. "Sugar, what happened? Why are you here? Where's mother and father?"

The water fairy could only say one phrase: "Rugista Island…Monster…" And she passed out.

_Either history likes to repeat itself, or I'm just full of bad luck…_Jin cursed as she helped to carry Sugar back home. "Naxay, go tell the servants to prepare the ship, and tell Cole to behave himself while I'm gone!"

"Hey! Weren't you the one who said you can't leave your siblings by themselves?!"

"This is an emergency! They can live for a day without me. Now GO!" She left the demon to herself. Naxay sighed.

"Such a slave driver…" She mumbled.

* * *

_Wow…this really is an emergency…_Naxay watched as Jin navigated the ship by herself. She didn't even care which ship she took…nor did she bother asking for someone to navigate the ship for her. (Actually, Jin didn't work solo just because she didn't have a guardian beast…she just preferred not to rely on others too much. This information, however, never struck Naxay.)

Halfway through the trip, Jin turned her head: "Naxay?"

"What?" She noticed that the blonde girl had her jaw clenched for some while now.

"Few days ago…I lied to you."

"…" _What is she talking about?_ Naxay tried to replay the last few days to try and find out where the conversation was going.

"No, 'lied' isn't the right way to describe it. It's more like I had information that I didn't disclose to you." Jin turned her attention back to the sea.

"Then say it now." Naxay narrowed her eyes.

"The moment you gave me the description of the spirit who gave you a surprise attack, I knew who it was."

There was a while of silence. Naxay almost did an outburst but held back. Something else was more important right now. "You knew. And you said nothing. What made you keep it to yourself then?"

"Uncertainty. I wasn't certain until it was too late. What I was feeling from the Dark Star and the things you've told me kind of added up to what I've heard from Sugar and my parents before…things of the past. But I didn't think it was true. I thought that if it were true, then it would be horrible. I doubted and denied the idea in my mind…and I certainly didn't think that he would strike so soon." She paused.

"Go on." Naxay prompted.

Jin took in a deep breath: "His name is Lubert. It should've been obvious. And I know who he's after. My parents…and my family." She gave Naxay a quick rundown of events. "Mother said that he used dark summon creatures. That's probably how he's still alive in one way now…he's been messing with dark powers…"

"You agreed to help though…did you do that because you wanted to investigate your idea? To see if this Lubert character really has come back to haunt your family?"

"Yes…"

"Are you often uncertain? Because that's not a good flaw to have."

"I can't say how often I have that flaw…but you're right, it's not a good flaw to have." Jin sighed.

"Stay calm and don't rush into things then. We need information about what happened first."

"Mmm hmm." She nodded. "You're right. But still….sorry…"

That was the end of their conversation. Naxay could see the island already.

**Reviews make a difference in my update speed…seriously. Otherwise, I'd go and work on other stuff and this will be forgotten for a long time…**


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